The Texas Observer NOV. 13, 1964
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The Texas Observer NOV. 13, 1964 A Journal of Free Voices A Window to The South 25c THE ELECTION IN KENEDY Dan Strawn Kenedy, Texas en to serve it. I must congratulate them been notified 24 hours before the election, The cloud was beginning to rise on the that they never threw me out. One lady, but that she could be an interpreter, so horizon that would harden the hearts and transcendentalized by campaign zeal, she ran back down there to watch Mrs. create bitterness among the citizens of threatened to charge me fifty cents for the Puckett some more. Kenedy. The Republicans were girding next cup, but all in all I was treated very Soon phone calls began coming in to Ike their loins for battle.- Gone were the hal- nicely for a suspected Democrat. They from irate voters complaining of being cyon days of smiling 'bwight and even hoped to save me from the sins and perdi- watched. They had never been watched be- those of frowning Dickie. Alas, trouble was tions of socialistic mentors and convert me fore while they voted. There was some- afoot. Undaunted, however diminished, to the true faith to take up a stick and thing unAmerican about all this. You real- they decided to make a fight of it. One Re- smite crime, Russians, Reds, Cubans, and ize that in Kenedy we vote, not as city publican confided to me at first that they medicare. So I turned a deaf ear to the slickers are wont to do—in booths, but on might meet in secret to plot their attack hill country Lenin and listened to the pana- tables out in plain view, if one wants to on the Democratic bastion, but no, they cea of Americanism without government look hard enough. People began calling up did not do that. Their mettle was of sterner controls, a place where nobody had to work asking why a Democratic sheriff's deputy's stuff. They opened one of the numerous to support the government, where commu- wife was a Republican poll watcher. The empty buildings on Main Street of Kenedy, nism would get its comeuppance. The cof- complaints were beginning to fall unhar- lofted their banners of Americanism and fee was excellent, and then I walked out moniously on the sheriff's ears. The sher- flaunted Barry and Representative Miller into the world again. iff, however, was looking forward to an at Peking and the Kremlin. Everyone could uncomplicated four-year tenure in office. see that the Russians would not dare at- THE REPUBLICANS were go- He was unopposed. The deputy sheriff, evi- tack Kenedy with such formidable pictures ing to make a fight of it. They had been dently getting wind of it, came into the glaring at them on Main Street. reading in the papers about fraudulent poll store and announced that he was a straight- The Democratic bastion was a block fur- tax addresses all over the place in the big ticket Democrat through and through. ther down. Ike Handelman was the Karnes cities and in the smaller ones. This was not However, suspicions were not assuaged, County Democratic Chairman who held going to happen in Kenedy. The answer and disloyalty was suspected even in the forth in Handelman's Department Store. was poll watchers. Immediately, they highest quarters, the sheriff's. One irate He had a loudspeaker from which he sought volunteers. I heard about it as I was onlooker even remarked, "If I had a wife blared forth Democratic speeches and an- passing by and offered my services, but the like that I'd spank her fanny," but she nouncements and drove the Republicans Republican chairman viewed me with sus- stayed. (and perhaps a few others) berserk with picion, perhaps because he remembered a The precinct chairwoman was formidable "Everything's O.K. at the L.B.J." over and bet we had on the election. None but the too. She reportedly threatened to turn the over again. Most of the time the streets faithful were to be allowed as poll watch- youthful Republican county chairman over were practically vacant, but the Republi- ers. her knee. She ordered him out from where cans, staunch and steadfast, never desert- When Ike heard of all this he was aston- the votes were being counted and seized a ing their post, were deluged by the noise. ished. Never in the history of Kenedy had package that he was giving to his poll Of course on Saturday everybody caught there ever been poll watchers. "Only crooks watcher. It turned out to be only a sand- it. think everybody else is crooks," Ike said. wich, but she pointed out that everything Republican honor was at stake. They, not The precinct chairwomen were enraged given to a poll watcher had to be inspected to be outdone, rigged up a loudspeaker of having their efficiency questioned. There to ferret out contraband. their own, but, its tones were so feminine was only one solution. Having poll watch- One Runge precinct chairman was indig- and its volume so unstentorian that it was ers to watch the poll watchers. nant because they had a poll watcher in merely an exhalation in a whirlwind com- In precinct 19, my precinct, the Republi- his precinct and none in the other, but the pared to Ike's device—that was, when they cans had selected Mrs. James Puckett, the Republican chairman replied that they could get it to work. I tried to work it but deputy sheriff's wife, to watch the polls. didn't have enough poll watchers to go didn't have much luck with it. Eventually Ike selected Mrs. Ruby Schultz, a quite around. they took it down, leaving the field to Ike, formidable lady, to be the Democratic poll In Karnes City the' county agent, a Dem- maintaining that they felt it their civic watcher. Mrs. Puckett rapidly put Mrs. ocrat, had to yank his Republican poll duty not to annoy passersby with it and Schultz to flight by asking her for her cre- watching wife out when irate Democrats pointing out that such things were unlaw- dentials and badge. Who had ever heard of began threatening his job. ful in big cities such as New York and Chi- credentials and a badge? Mrs. Schultz im- Tempers grew hotter. One female Repub- cago. mediately called Ike, who fled to Karnes lican worker hailed a woman voter down The Republican headquarters had two City to see the county attorney. The county and informed her that only , "Mexicans, definite advantages over the Democratic attorney said that she couldn't be author- Niggers, Jews, and poor white trash" voted one. It had good coffee and attractive worn- ized as a poll watcher because she hadn't (Continued on Page•3) and that will not tolerate mindless slogans and vendettas at the expense of the na- tional welfare. Many Texans who have never liked living in a one-party state will watch their doings the next two years with pessimistic, critic- action ReifectionJ al, but not hopeless interest. Senator Goldwater's new slogan: Today from Harris County, should resign. Elliott Mississippi, Tomorrow the World. made the practical point that Goldwater There is a good deal of lamenting in Tex- polled eight million votes less than Nixon as about professors who do not have the in Texas. realism or courage to leave their protected O'Donnell, however, said the election rounds and engage themselves in the mean- We do not intend to sit idly by while proved that Americans did not want to ingful issues of this time and place. The Texas Republicans are so terribly abused. change presidents twice in one year. He 1,014 Texas profesgors who signed the Some of our best friends are Texas Re- seemed to overlook that it also proved newspaper declaration for Johnson, Hum- publicans. Many of them can read and Americans did not want to change the presi- phrey, Yarborough, and Connally were as- write, and most of them have a good in- dent this year. O'Donnell is not resigning. serting their citizenship against the know- come. They dress well and go to the right Tad Smith, the former state Republican ledge that there might be those who would churches and prep schools. Most of them chairman who directed Goldwater's Texas hold it against Ahem. Their doing this did did not know Senator Goldwater and were campaign, blamed Goldwater, not his ideas. matter, and they should be thanked. misled by their leaders. We say let's give Texans voted "against Sen. Goldwater them another. chance. personally. His loss did not represent a True, we do not propose a general repudiation of either the conservative phi- amnesty; this would be carrying friendship losophy or the Republican Party," Smith too far. Senator John Tower was one of said. Poor Goldwater, so recently a hero. Usually the slogans by which politicians seek to project their images do not merit the original ring-leaders in the Goldwater John Kingsbery, co-chairman of Travis disaster and helped make the strategy on a repeating. Every now and then, however, County Goldwaterites, says neither Gold- one of our public officials hits upon just day to day basis. It can be argued water nor the conservative movement is whimsically, of course, that he thereby put the phrase to strike instant admiration to blame for the returns. "A liberal or into the subconscious of the electorate and Democrats in his debt; but this is not so, moderate liberal Republican would have for the Goldwater .